Secret Jealousies
by n.n-Anime-n.n
Summary: After Cana convinces Lucy to drink with her, the drunken blonde finds that her best guarded secret has just fallen into the hands of Matchmaker Mira Jane. When she discovers that the feelings she harbors are not mutual the only way she knows how to deal with the embarrassment is to take a request with one of her best friends. Will she feel the same about Laxus when she returns?
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Fairy Tail or any of the characters, unfortunately.

Thank you to my awesome beta, ShadowedSoulSpirit for taking o another story! You are amazing, and I love you so so much!

This is just an idea I had, and I decided to run with it. I will update as often as possible, but I do have two other stories I am currently working on.

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Lucy found herself sitting across the table from Cana, tentatively holding a shot of vodka in one hand. Cana was busy setting up a whole line of the vile drinks in the center of the table. Her wavy brown hair hung around her face in a manner that Lucy couldn't help but find alluring. Not that she was into her friend like that. No. It was the alcohol talking.

Cana was forcing her to drink. She was only two shots in, but she could still feel a slight buzz working its way up to her head.

"Cana.."

"Don't sta~art." Cana sang while holding up a finger and winking at her blond friend. "If you don't drink with me you know what'll happen."

"Shh! Don't! I told you I would. I just don't see why you can't find someone else to drink with." Lucy pursed her full pink lips into an adorable pout that had absolutely no effect on the Card Mage.

"They all suck." The brunette brushed the question aside as if Lucy should already know the answer and went back to arranging a dauntingly long line of shots.

Lucy sighed and gave up on arguing with her alcoholic friend. She couldn't afford for Cana to spill the beans about her secret. No, that just couldn't happen. She would rather endure a drinking binge than everyone know about **that**.

"Alright! This time we will arm wrestle. Loser takes a shot."

"That's totally unfair!" Lucy wailed at her friend as she scooted over and took up the position for arm wrestling.

"Well. You always know your other option. You know..I could tell everyone that you have a crush on- oomph!"

Lucy leapt across the table and slapped her hand across her friend's face none too gently.

"Shhh!"

Mira closed her eyes and grinned at the two girls as her gown brushed against their table on her way to deliver a tray of beverages to a back table. With her hand still firmly planted on Cana's face, Lucy followed the white-haired mage's progress. She dropped the drinks off with the Raijinshuu and Laxus.

'Nooo' she inwardly groaned.

If Mira overheard something then it would all be over.

"Let's do this." Lucy situated herself on the bench once again, and clasped Cana's hand.

It was an easy win for Cana. While neither girl was physically strong, Cana had a lot more experience with arm wrestling. It figured she would. Lucy grudgingly took her shot and let the warmth seep into her a little further. Blinking at the taste, she looked up just in time to catch Cana downing a shot as well.

"Why did we have to arm wrestle if you were going to drink anyways?!" Her indignant shout attracted quite a few gazes.

"If I lose a round, then I'll take two shots." Gray and Natsu were thankfully busy beating each other's faces in at the moment, and Lucy glared at Wakaba and a few others until they turned away.

"Fine." She hissed vehemently at her devious friend. "This time I'll kick your ass."

Cana stood above Lucy laughing her ass off and swaying on her feet. After a multitude of silly games, Lucy was laying on the floor drunk out of her mind. Her black skirt was hitched dangerously high on her thighs, but she couldn't move to adjust it.

"C'mon," Cana slurred. "Another. You lost that game of go fish. You have to take another."

"I I can't. I'm spinning."

"If you don't then I'll tell everyone that you like hi~im." Brown hair obscured her vision as Cana leant over the poor girl and sang in her face. "He's sitting right over THERE, ya know. It wouldn't be hard to just walk right up and tell him." She was straddling Lucy in a very drunken manner at this point, with her breasts pressed into her face while she whispered the dangerous words close to her ear. Her wavering finger was no doubt pointing in the general direction of her crush.

There just wasn't much she could do. She was wasted. Cana had drank almost three times as much as her, and she was pretty drunk as well.

"Come on now, Cana. I don't think she will be conscious if she drinks any more." Lucy inwardly cheered at being saved as Mira drug the Card Mage off of her prone form and dumped her back at their table.

"No way, Mira! That's not fair! She lost the game, and now she has to drink. If she doesn't, then I'm going to tell everyone who her crush is!" Cana's face was flushed from the exertion of yelling as she leapt to her feet and glared at Lucy accusingly.

"Crush? Who does Lucy have a crush on?" Mira had been in the process of slinging Lucy's arm over her shoulder, but the shock of Cana's words startled her into dropping the poor girl back onto the floor.

"Noooo!" Lucy wailed when she saw the evil look in Cana's eyes.

"You know, this is me being nice. I could just scream it at the top of my lungs to the whole guild." With that she leaned over and whispered into Mira's ear as the oldest take over mage clasped her hands together at her breast and bounced on the balls of her feet in anticipation.

"Eeeeeek!" Lucy couldn't tell if her friend were squealing in glee or terror. All she knew was that she was absolutely doomed.

She just knew it by the look on Mira Jane's face.

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Laxus had been watching the scene that the two girls were causing out of the corner of his eye with mild interest. Mostly he was just a huge pervert and waiting for Lucy's shirt to dip a little lower. He could admit that to himself. What man wouldn't want to see more of that body?

Cana's breasts were always on display. It wasn't that Laxus didn't look at the Card Mage's, because he certainly did. It was just a rare treat to watch the two girls drunk together. He was taking advantage of the situation to get a closer peek at the Celestial Mage's assets.

"Laxus." A cheerful voice interrupted his pervy time, and Laxus looked up at Mira with a scowl on his face.

"What d'ya want?" He tried to peek around her and catch another glimpse of Lucy's rear end, which was currently thrust into the air as she lay her head on the table from a standing position. Mira obviously noticed, and with a smile she side stepped to block his view.

"I just heard something interesting. As I'm sure you're aware."

Laxus glared harder. Of course he was aware. It wasn't hard to put the pieces together after that little display and then Mira making her way over to him. His Dragon Slayer hearing had allowed him to pick up on the entire conversation, even though it had taken place across the room. The only part he was unable to hear was the part that Mira was here to tell him.

"I'm not interested." He turned away from Mira and back to his glass of brandy.

His team was watching him with curious looks on their faces. Well, Evergreen looked mildly interested, and Bickslow's tongue was wagging back and forth in what Laxus assumed was some sort of curiosity. Freed was staring at Mira with a faraway look in his eyes.

A pale hand slammed into the table and knocked over his drink. Upon looking up, he found him face to face with Mira, and she was radiating a dark aura that sent shivers down his spine. Man, was he glad that he had stopped pursuing this crazy broad. He couldn't imagine dating her with her crazy demon form boiling just below the surface.

"I wasn't asking. You owe me a favor anyways."

"Whatever." He grumbled and shrugged his shoulders. There was no point in arguing with her when she was like this.

Evergreen tittered behind her fan, and Laxus shot her a venomous look that had her scurrying away for fear of his life. Freed was still staring at Mira, and Bickslow was pretending to be busy picking his nails.

"Great! So I picked a mission out for the two of you." She flashed Laxus a bright smile and slapped the paper down in front of him. "You can ask her to go with you on your way to take her home. It's the guy's job to ask the girl, after all." Mira frowned at Freed, turned away from the table, and walked back to the bar.

Laxus stared after her open-mouthed. She was crazy.

The sound of a soft choking noise brought the Lightning Dragon Slayer's attention back to the table. Freed's eyes looked like they were going to bug out of his head, and he was making a disturbing noise in the back of his throat. Bickslow had raised his visor, and was patting his friend on the back in a sympathizing manner.

"You should probably make your move, buddy. If that wasn't a hint then I don't know what is." The Sieth mage nodded his head in agreement with himself as his dolls made laps around his head in an annoying manner and voiced their approval on the matter.

This was so not happening. Laxus really wasn't interested in dating the girl. He just liked to fantasize about her naked body. There was no way he was going to let himself get bullied into this. Mira was just mad because Freed hadn't asked her out yet. It wasn't fair that she was taking it out on him like this.

He pushed his chair back with unnecessary force, and stalked after the nosy mage.

"Mira." He grabbed her arm and spun her to face him. She had just set a beer in front of Gildarts, who pretended to not notice the two standing a mere few inches away from him. "Look, I'm not interested in her like that. You will only be making things worse. Also, Freed said he wants to meet you by the pool after you close tonight."

Mira's mouth snapped shut at the last statement, and she merely watched as Laxus walked away.

With a dreamy look on her face, Mira turned and ran smack into Lucy. There were tears in the blond's eyes, and she was holding the paper Mira had left at Laxus' table. Mira could only assume that the girl had heard the exchange.

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"H-how could you?" He hiccupped. She was drunk and upset and it was all Mira's fault.

"Lucy", she reached out her hand to the fleeing blond. It was too late. She was already out the door.

Matchmaker Mira had really screwed things up this time. Laxus was annoyed with her, Freed was pressured into making a move that he may or may not really want to make, and Lucy was beyond upset and embarrassed. Mira sighed and brushed her hair over her shoulder in a nervous gesture. All she wanted was to see her friends happy. It wasn't her intention to hurt anyone.

Sobbing, Lucy slammed the door shut to her apartment. She had barely made it home with shaky steps. Teetering over to her dresser, she pulled out random changes of clothes and stuffed them into her travel bag along with a few granola bars from the kitchen and some money.

Making sure her keys were strapped to her belt along with her whip, Lucy straightened her hair, and stomped down the stairs towards the train station with the request clutched in her hand. She hadn't even bothered to look at the thing. All she knew was that she had to get out of there.

Upon reaching the train station, Lucy stopped short. She knew she was drunk, but she was fairly certain that Gray was standing there with his hands in his pockets waiting for her. She realized then that she had completely lost track of him and Natsu sometime after her fifth shot. Her face burned with embarrassment at the thought of him listening in on the entire ordeal.

"Hey." He removed one hand from his pocket and cautiously waved at her.

A sob broke loose from her throat as she collapsed to her knees. Instantly he was there holding her close and allowing her to cry into his coat while rubbing a hand soothingly up and down her back.

By the time the train arrived, she had calmed down enough to pull out a compact mirror and wipe away the smudged make up from her face. She had agreed to let him come with her. He was one of her closest friends, and he pointed out that the request did require a male and female mage.

After shakily boarding the last train out of Magnolia that evening, Lucy lay her head against the cool glass of the window and watched the scenery whip by as she blanked out her mind in an effort to forget about the embarrassing events of only thirty minutes before. She hoped that by the time she returned that Laxus would have forgotten about what Mira had told him, and things could return to normal. She just didn't know how she would ever face either of them again.

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Review and let me know what you think! If you enjoyed this, then check out the other stories I am working on. Feedback is appreciated.


	2. Chapter 2

ShadowedSoulSpirit is seriously the best beta ever. She has taken it upon herself to review all of my fanfics, and I just keep throwing them at her! Thank you so much!

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Secret Jealousies Ch:2

Laxus almost felt kind of bad for what he had said to Mira about Lucy. It was true, he wasn't interested in her like that. He just wasn't interested in a relationship at all. They were too much trouble. Why date a girl when you could get what you wanted from her and kick her out in the morning?

He knew that sort of thing wouldn't work with his guildmates. If Master ever found out, he'd kick his ass. Makarov was definitely where Laxus got his perversion from, but that didn't mean that the old man would be ok with Laxus treating one of his precious 'brats' like that. In the end, Laxus had decided that it was best to just steer clear of any of the chicks at the guild.

Shrugging the whole thing off as the beginning of a cold (what else could make him ALMOST feel bad for some stupid shit like that), Laxus downed his drink and motioned for Mira to bring him another one. He missed the concerned glance that Freed was giving him.

He proceeded to lazily swirl the melting ice left in his glass while watching Mira make her way over to his table with a tray of drinks.

He almost envied Freed. ALMOST. Mira was a babe. There was no denying that she was gorgeous. Her insane temper made her less than desirable to Laxus. He liked a girl with a little spunk, but not one that could go from innocent bar-maid to raging Demon in ten seconds flat. He never wanted to deal with that again.

Upon reaching their table, Mira placed Laxus' brandy in front of him, and held out another drink to Freed, who was currently the only member of the Raijinshu present.

"I figured I'd bring you a drink while I was at it." She gave him a sweet smile as if she hadn't practically bit his head off yesterday.

See. That's exactly what he didn't miss. That shit. He supposed that Freed had smoothed things over last night somehow, but women were still devious creatures in Laxus' mind.

"Thank you." Freed's reply was barely a whisper and made Laxus feel like puking. He almost did when he looked up and saw that the poor sap was redder than a tomato.

Laxus grunted his own thanks out, and turned to his drink in a brooding manner. He would have to have a conversation with his friend about growing a pair.

"Laxus" surprised, he whipped his head up to find that Mira was still there. "I need to talk to you about something."

He didn't reply other than blinking owlishly at her. He just couldn't imagine what she had to talk to him about. It wasn't as if he hated her. He just simply didn't interact with her any more than necessary to order his drinks and occasionally something to eat.

"It's about Lucy" She obviously wasn't giving up. "She left on the job that I had picked out for the two of you. It's not too difficult, but it is definitely beyond her level to complete alone."

"Why are you telling me this?" His voice was gruff.

He had an idea of where this was going, and he just was not in the mood. He wanted nothing more than to pull his soundpod headphones over his ears and turn the volume up as high as it would go. Then he could pretend he was listening and nod his head occasionally. Hopeful the Demon would go away and leave him in peace if he agreed with everything she said.

Unfortunately, he knew that wouldn't happen. He would just have to deal with Mira Jane without the help of his soundpod.

"You messed things up pretty bad last night. Gray already offered to go after her, but since you still owe me a favor, I would like you to take her out when she gets back. NO ARGUING this time."

Laxus' mouth was hanging open. He couldn't believe this. She was bat shit crazy.

"Me?" He thundered, "but it was y-" Freed threw a piece of ice at him.

He looked over at his friend and saw that he was shaking his head violently back and forth. This was fucking great. If he argued his way out of this with Mira, Freed would be upset. It wasn't that he cared about his feelings. It was more that he didn't want to deal with the green headed idiot clinging to his leg and wailing for the next three weeks.

"Fine." He jerked his soundpod into place, closed his eyes, and crossed his arms. It was obvious to anyone that the conversation was over.

Laxus didn't give himself any time to contemplate what he had just promised. He had been dodging paying back that favor for a while, and he knew it was going to come back to bite him in the ass. He should have just dealt with the consequences.

Oh well. There was no point in complaining about it now. It happened and all he had to do was take blondie out on one date and then the favor would be repaid. He would never have to hear Mira bitch about it again.

Standing, he motioned for Freed to follow him out of the guild. Freed was romantic. He would make him plan the stupid date.

* * *

Lucy squealed and jumped out of the way as a gout of fire raced past her.

"M-my hair!" The ends of her hair on one side were a bit singed.

Although the mages that they were facing used fire magic, their magic was no match for Natsu's. However, that didn't mean that it couldn't burn hair.

"Be careful, Lucy!" Gray was busy with his own knock off fire mage.

Their skills were basic. That wasn't the problem. The problem with the two amateur mages was that they never seemed to run out of magic. No matter how many times the two Fairy Tail mages knocked them down, the idiots just kept getting back up.

Unfortunately, Gray and Lucy did not have an unlimited supply of magic. Already the two of them were tired out. Their magic was running low. Lucy knew that she only had the energy left to summon one more of her spirits and she wanted to make it count.

The female fire mage that Lucy was facing snickered at the blonde's burnt hair, and made the mistake of moving in close into sending bolts of fire out to do her dirty work. Lucy waited until she was almost on her. She knew she only had one shot to knock her out cold. When the anemic looking brunette was less than a foot away, Lucy made her move.

Her nimble fingers pulled the correct key from her key ring and she held it out in front of her, slashing it through the air directly in front of the troublesome girl's face as she called, "Open, gate of the Lion, Leo!" With a flash of golden light, Lucy's savior arrived.

Without a second thought, Loke called up the power of Regulus and punched the annoying bimbo right in the mouth. She was knocked out on impact.

Lucy was so happy that she willingly jumped into Loke's arms and cheered.

"Princess. I am glad that I could be of service to you." Lucy rolled her eyes and pointed to the mage who was still twitching, "Princess." He pouted at the silent action.

He obediently picked the girl up and slung her over his shoulder. Lucy sighed tiredly and turned to see that Gray had finished up his fight as well and was dragging the mage that he had taken down by his leg behind him. The guy's face was scraping across the ground. Lucy shrugged inwardly. That's what he got for being so difficult.

The three Fairy Tail mages walked back to the little village that employed them. Once they received payment and the troublesome mages had been secured, Loke bowed to Lucy and went back to the spirit world, leaving a cloud of golden glitter in his wake. Lucy rolled her eyes again. That guy was just too much. At least he hadn't had a chance to really flirt with Gray around.

Speaking of Gray, Lucy turned to congratulate him and found him half naked. Her eyes bugged out of her head. She saw him naked all the time, but it still affected her every time. What girl wouldn't be affected by seeing Gray Fullbuster without his shirt or pants on?

The only thing covering him was his boxers, and somehow he had managed to keep his boots on. It amazed Lucy how he managed things like that.

"Gray! Your clothes!"

A look of panic crossed his face as he realized that he had indeed stripped while they were walking along. Without a word to Lucy, he raced back the way they had come, to collect his shirt, jacket, and pants.

Rubbing her eyes, Lucy continued to walk. They had quite a ways to go to reach the nearest train station before dark, and she didn't want to waste any time. Besides, she was sure that he would be able to find her without any problems. All he had to do was walk back the way they had come.

Lucy's legs felt heavy. The sweat from the fight earlier had allowed dust to cake to her skin, and her hair was falling out of its pigtails. She knew she looked like absolute shit. The worst part was that Crux had informed her that the last train to Magnolia left an hour ago.

Unfortunately, Lucy had gotten lost. Her magic was incredibly depleted, and she was loathe to use any more of it except in the most dire of situations.

Gray had yet to find her, and it was already quite dark. All Lucy wanted to do was take a shower and change her clothes. She really didn't care if it was hot or cold. She couldn't stand the feeling of the dirt that layered her entire body. It seemed like it had even managed to find its way underneath her shirt and up her skirt. She could swear there was gravel in her socks as well.

She was glad that she got to keep all of the reward money for once, and that the job paid well. The employers had been from a small village without mages, and had reported that a pair of 'S-class' mages were randomly burning their houses down.

While the two fire mages had given Gray and Lucy a workout, they were definitely not S-class. Lucy didn't argue about the payment though, and Erza wasn't around to refuse it. Gray also didn't seem like he cared as long as they got paid.

Speaking of Gray, Lucy was furious that he hadn't found her by now!

Tripping over a random root, Lucy found herself suddenly tumbling down a small incline head over heels. She landed roughly on her ass, and all the breath left her lungs. She groaned as she rolled over and sat up to survey her surroundings.

She was pleasantly surprised to find that she had rolled right into a little glade, complete with its own pool of fresh water that seemed to come from underground and drain into a shallow stream that ran away through the trees.

Without a second thought, Lucy stripped her clothes and raced towards the water. This was just what she needed. She could finally wash all of the dirt off her skin and out of her hair. By the time she was done soaking enough of her magic should be restored to call Virgo for a change of clothes without any problems.

Lucy would have cheered with glee if she weren't so tired. It was all that walking that had finally done her in. Her muscles were aching from the magic depletion and physical exertion on top of it. She just had to walk for hours right after that strenuous ordeal.

Dunking her head under the water, Lucy scrubbed at the dirt. She just wanted to be clean!

With her eyes squeezed shut, she propelled herself forward under the water. Once she resurfaced, she flipped the hair out of her eyes and scrubbed at her face.

She opened her eyes and let out a shriek.

This was not happening. This could NOT be happening.

Maybe if she kept telling herself that, then she would wake up in her bed and find that this whole day had been a dream. All she knew was that being face to face with an equally naked Gray was not what she had planned for the evening.

Suddenly, embarrassment left her as rage flooded her system.

"GRAY! What are you doing here?! I've been looking for you for hours!" She shouted at the stunned Ice Mage while swimming back a few feet and covering her breasts with one arm.

"Well I found my clothes..and then I happened to stumble across this glade." He politely averted his eyes to the side while a slight blush dusted his cheeks.

He was adorable. Lucy admitted that she thought he was absolutely adorable.

That didn't change the fact that she was in a really bad mood, and she was blaming it on him.

"Well get out!" She pointed with her free hand towards the edge of the water while continuing to tread water.

"What? No!" Gray argued while turning back to her. "I was here first!"

"Exactly! You've had more time to soak! Now it's my turn!"

Although he grumbled at her reasoning, he turned and swam to the edge. Lucy was ashamed to admit that she watched as he walked ashore and collected his clothes.

She couldn't help it, really. He was dripping wet and naked. She couldn't even look away when he began pulling his clothes on. Thank Mavis he still had his back to her. She would die of embarrassment if he caught her peeping like this.

His muscles stretched across his back as he lifted his arms to pull his shirt on over his head. With his boxers and pants already on, he was mostly dressed. Seeing that the show was mostly over, Lucy was just about to turn away and pretend she hadn't been watching when Gray turned his head and caught her staring.

He casually pulled his shirt on all the way while maintain eye contact.

"You know, if you get to look then you can't be mad at me if I look." He gave her a mischievous look and began pulling his shoes on.

Lucy felt her jaw drop. She couldn't believe he had just said that. She couldn't tell if he was being serious or just joking. He was totally focused on his boots at the moment.

"P-pervert!" She screeched at him.

She figured this was the safest route. She certainly wasn't about to agree to let him see her naked.

"I was just joking." He chuckled at her while walking away to allow her some privacy.

Lucy grumbled to herself about perverts and idiots and inconsiderate guys while she scrubbed the dirt off her skin. She just couldn't figure guys out. One minute they were openly perverted and the next minute they were claiming innocence and that they were merely joking. It irritated her to no end.

This was exactly why she couldn't get a boyfriend. Guys were only forthcoming when they were trying to see her tits. As soon as it got more serious than that they covered their heads with their arms and ran away screaming innocence.

She was tired of the perverted jokes. She just wanted someone to take her seriously for once. She knew that she had a killer body. There was no pretending she didn't. She just didn't want to be with someone that only wanted her body. Jokes were one thing, but she wanted someone that liked her personality as well. She needed someone that would treat her with respect in public. Perversion could be saved for the bed.

She was completely unaware that Gray snuck a glance back to catch a glimpse of her uncovered body. She may not know it, but he wasn't joking about actually wanting to see her naked in return.

* * *

GrayXLucy Time! Look out for the next chapter, guys! Don't worry, there will definitely be more Laxus soon.

Review and let me know what you think. Also, take the poll on my profile to help me decide wo to pair Juvia with in my next fic.

I am also thinking about doing a couple one-shots if anyone has any particular requests.


	3. Chapter 3

I'm sorry this is short! I just really felt like this was the best place to leave it, and I wanted to get another chapter out for you guys! Enjoy!

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Secret Jealousies ch 3

The trip back to Magnolia was a harrowing one for Lucy. She couldn't get the images of a very naked Gray out of her mind.

She had seen him naked many times before, but this time was different. First of all, they had been alone. Second of all, they had **both** been naked. For some reason that had intensified the electricity that had raced through Lucy's veins.

Ever since they had left the glade, Lucy had tried her best not to let the situation get awkward between them. Gray had been pretending that it had never happened, and Lucy had tried several different techniques to get the Ice Mage out of her mind.

Unfortunately, she found that it wasn't helping.

She already was extremely attached to the stripping mage because of their partnership in Team Natsu. She also knew from Gemini that Gray had a crush on her at some point. Factor in the guy being totally sweet and caring in the whole Laxus situation, and a sexy body…well she was screwed. There was no other way to put it.

They would have had to walk for quite a ways in the dark to make it to the town in time, so Gray suggested that they camp out instead. Lucy didn't really like the idea of sleeping in the forest with bugs and creepy little creatures, but she knew she didn't really have a choice.

Gray had insisted on erecting an ice igloo, which made Lucy giggle. Nevertheless, she was glad for the little bit of shelter it provided. Sleeping within such a close proximity to the man she was realizing she had at least some sort of minor feelings for was strange. Natsu slept over regularly with Lucy, but that was different. He was one of her best friends. It didn't count as anything.

She wondered now if that's how Gray had felt about her.

Lucy started from her reverie as the train came to a grinding halt at the Magnolia station. They were finally home. It was nearly evening by now, and Lucy wanted a real shower. She was also starving.

Suddenly a thought struck her. Gray was probably starving as well. If she invited him over for dinner, then she could gauge his feelings for her without things getting weird. She could always play the friend card if he got suspicious. She wanted to know his true feelings before she let her heart run away with the naked image of Gray.

Dripping wet, and very naked Gray lifting his arms to pull his shirt over his head…

Her cheeks instantly colored at the thought, and she had to squeeze her thighs shut to repress the arousal in the pit of her stomach.

"You alright, Lucy?" Gray was pulling their bags from the overhead compartment.

"F-fine!" She laughed nervously and practically jumped to her feet. Although he gave her a look that said he definitely didn't believe her, he simply shrugged and made his way off the train.

Several people pushed their way past Lucy, and she was one of the last to exit the train. She was worried that he would have left already, but then she remembered that he had grabbed her bag. There was no way that he would leave with her things. Lucy knew Gray well enough to know that he would definitely be waiting for her. That would be her chance to ask him to dinner.

Stepping into the warm sunlight, Lucy squinted against the glare and held up a hand as a makeshift sun visor. She scanned the crowd of people in front of her with her large doe-like eyes. At first she feared that he had left after all, but then she spotted his dark hair that contrasted sharply with his crisp white jacket.

He was leaning against a bench with his hands in his pockets. He seemed deep in thought, with a faraway look in his gorgeous onyx eyes.

Lucy was startled suddenly by the realization that these thoughts had been plaguing her mind more and more often the last couple days. She wouldn't lie, it wasn't that she had never had these thoughts before. It was simply that they were few and far in between. Her thoughts had been occupied with a certain Dragon Slayer. No, not the obnoxious pink haired one that spit flames and broke all of her things.

Even as Laxus entered her mind, Lucy shook the thought away. It stubbornly clung to the edges of her thoughts, and caused a sharp pain in her chest. She still wasn't over the embarrassment of rejection, even if it hadn't been direct.

The cooling presence of Gray that washed over Lucy finally managed to purge her thoughts of the hulking Dragon Slayer. A smile tugged at her face as Gray noticed her and raised his hand in a silent greeting.

"Hey." Lucy clasped both of her hands behind her back and rocked back on her heels. "Wanna come back to my place and get something to eat. It's closer than yours, and I know we're both starving." She avoided making eye contact with the Ice Mage to keep herself from blushing like an idiot.

"Well, I really need a shower…"

"You can shower at my place." The words were out of her mouth before she even realized what she was saying.

Her head snapped up in surprise at her own audacity, and she shyly searched Gray's face for his reaction. His own features mirrored the look that Lucy imagined was painted across her visage as well. A sly smirk slid into place on Gray's face, and he bent to grab both of their bags.

"Lucy, I didn't know you were so bold." He winked at her, and butterflies assaulted her stomach.

"D-don't be perverted! You don't have to come over if you don't want to." Her cheeks stung worse than as if she'd been slapped, and she couldn't bear to look at him.

"I'll go." With that simple reply, Gray had slung their bags over his shoulder and sauntered off towards Lucy's apartment.

After standing there watching him walk away with her jaw practically on the ground, Lucy finally snapped out of it and raced after him.

Once they reached her apartment, Lucy grabbed a clean pair of clothes and took off towards the shower. She was surprised to find Gray blocking the entrance to the bathroom.

"Hey. Just what do you think you're doing?"

"Shouldn't guests get to shower first?" He had a smug look on his face that Lucy would have loved to slap off.

"Sure, but you could hardly be considered a guest. Besides, I'm making dinner so it's only fair I get to shower first." He looked crestfallen at being denied the first shower.

Lucy grinned and stepped past him into the shower. Their arms brushed briefly, and after the door was closed she allowed her body to fully react to the small amount of contact. Things were definitely different since this job. She hoped it wasn't one sided, but she couldn't be sure.

She had been hoping that a hot shower would sear away her impure thoughts of the Ice Mage, but it only proved to invoke them further. The streaming water brought back thoughts of the water droplets that clung to Gray's muscled abdomen. She could envision the water that slowly rolled down his back and across his ass as he stood from the water and walked to the shore.

Lucy groaned aloud and startled herself out of her fantasy. She was embarrassed to find that her hand had smoothed over her flat stomach and her fingers were inching their way down her thighs.

This was so not happening. It was wrong on so many levels. She couldn't touch herself in the shower to a man that was in the other room. Especially not if he only viewed her as a friend!

She vigorously scrubbed the dirt away with a loofa and her strawberry-melon scented soap then switched the water to ice cold and blasted herself back to reality. The last thing she needed was for Gray to hear her moaning his name in the bathroom. Not that it would ever happen, but she wasn't about to chance it.

Selecting the largest and fluffiest pink towel that she owned, Lucy dried her hair. She was in the middle of rubbing her golden locks with her towel when she realized that she hadn't brought her clean clothes into the bathroom with her. She was having a hard time imagining how things could get any worse.

Steeling her nerves for a potentially embarrassing situation, Lucy wrapped herself in her towel and slowly exited the bathroom.

Gray was standing in the kitchen with his head in the fridge. Evidently he was raiding it for a snack to stave off his hunger.

She tiptoed away from the bathroom door, while keeping her eyes on Gray the entire time. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the green tank top she had selected earlier. It was laying on her bed. She inched her way forwards a little further, then stretched her hand out towards the clothes.

Unfortunately, her bathroom door chose that moment to creak ominously as it slowly swung closed. Stupid creaking door!

Gray looked up from the fridge and froze with a chicken leg that had obvious bite marks in it halfway to his mouth.

"Hehe.." she laughed nervously and snatched the clothes from her bed.

Before she made it halfway back to the bathroom, she was shoved against the wall roughly. Gray stood with his arms on either side of her head and a strange look in his eyes.

"G-gray?" Her heart felt like it was beating on the inside of her chest with a sledge hammer in an attempt to break free. She would gladly let it go if only to rid herself of the feelings that she was unable to suppress.

"Are you teasing me?" His voice was unusually husky as he bent closer to her.

It seemed to Lucy that time stood still for her at that moment, and she gladly drank in all that her senses revealed to her.

Water slid from her hair,down her still wet thighs and dripped to the floor. The scent of Gray's cologne and the earthy smell of his sweat reached her nose. It was oddly enticing. A cool breeze filtered in through her window, and rustled her new sheer pink curtains. Her knees trembled, and she clenched her thighs together as if it would lessen her arousal.

She had never seen Gray like this before, and she wasn't sure if she wanted him to laugh and say it was all a joke, or drag her to the bed and have his way with her. All she knew was that in this moment she was aware of nothing but Gray Fullbuster.

Laxus grumbled as he made his way to Lucy's apartment at a slow walk. Freed had helped him plan a sappy date to take the girl on, and then she just decided to not show up at the guild. Although he knew there was no way the blond could possibly know that he had been waiting there for her all day, he still blamed her for wasting his time.

Now Freed had insisted that Laxus go and retrieve her from her apartment. He claimed it would be more romantic that way, but Laxus suspected that he was just trying to appease the Demon that he had recently begun dating. The Rune Mage was insane.

He used the minimal amount of energy to plod along the road until he stood across the street from her apartment. Her window was open, and he chuckled at her choice of pink curtains.

Just then the wind picked up a bit, and the curtains billowed inwards.

Two things happened simultaneously.

First, Laxus was hit with the heady scent of Lucy's desire. Second, he caught a glimpse of a practically naked Celestial Mage within the arms of none other than the ice queen.

An emotion that the Lightening Dragon Slayer hadn't felt in ages boiled up within him even as he worked to repress it.

She wasn't his girl, so why should it matter? He hadn't even wanted to take her out on this stupid date. It was better that she had gotten close to Gray.

So then why did he feel like leaping through her window, zapping that idiot with his lightening, and taking Lucy for himself? Was it just his territorial dragon instincts?

He grunted harshly and turned away from the sight. He had better things to do than to spy on them. By better things, he meant downing some whiskey at the guild, and that's exactly what he would do.

Mira set his glass of whiskey in front of him and leaned against the counter casually.

"So when are you picking her up?" Her eyes glinted with a maniacal light that Laxus didn't like.

"What? I'm not." He lifted his drink to his lips and took a long drink.

"What do you mean?"

"Listen, I was going to but when I got there I caught a glimpse of her with Gray through her window." Mira's mouth dropped open?

"Together as in…" she made some sort of odd gesture that Laxus assumed was sexual and he nodded. "Oh my god!" She covered her mouth with a slender hand.

The sound of glass shattering drew his attention to the left.

"Juvia will not allow such a thing! Juvia will grind Love Rival's face into the dirt before she allows her to taint Gray-sama! Juvia will, Juvia will…Juvia will kill her!" The psychotic Water Mage pounded her fists against the glass filled counter and would have been bleeding horribly if she hadn't been made of water.

Laxus discreetly scooted as far away from her as he could get. This chick was insane. There were way too many insane chicks in this guild. This was the exact reason that he chose not to get involved with any of the girls here. It was way too much drama for his liking.

"J-juiva. Calm down." Mira was attempting to hold the deranged girl back, but she turned herself into water and slipped out of her grasp.

As Juvia stomped from the guild with a ferocious storm cloud over her head, Laxus shook his empty glass in front of Mira's dazed face.

"Can I get a refill?"

* * *

I hope you guys enjoyed the bit of GrayxLucy in this chapter. For any of you Juvia fans out there, take the poll on my profile to help me decide who to pair her with in another story I've been thinking of.

Review and let me know what you think.


	4. Chapter 4

Here is the latest chapter! I'm sorry for the delay in updating. I am currently working on a few other stories as well. If you get tired of waiting then feel free to check out my other works!

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Secret Jealousies Ch 4

"G-Gray." Lucy's head fell back against the wall as her cheeks colored.

Gray's face was lodged against Lucy's neck. His right arm encircled her waist, and the left held his weight against the wall.

The only thing Lucy's mind could comprehend was the pulsing ache between her legs. Just a mere hour ago she had been contemplating how to discover Gray's true feelings for her. The last thing she had imagined happening was Gray shoving her against a wall and ferociously attacking her with sensual kisses all over her neck and collarbone.

She definitely did entertain the idea though.

Lucy slowly raised her arms and placed her hands against Gray's bare chest. Her muddled mind was only vaguely aware of the fact that he hadn't been shirtless moments ago. If she had been in a better state of mind she would have been immensely impressed with his ability to strip in such close proximity to another without being discerned.

She brushed her hands gently up and down Gray's smooth chest, but was reluctant to move any further.

Gray nipped at her slender neck, and Lucy couldn't suppress the moan that bubbled forth from her mouth. She closed her eyes from both embarrassment and pleasure, and turned her face away from Gray.

Her eyes darted back to Gray's face when she felt his fingertips brush against her bare thighs at the edge of her towel. Her honey colored eyes searched Gray's own midnight gaze and found only lust. He wanted her, and she could not deny that she wanted him. His hair was in disarray, and fell over his pale face in a manner that Lucy found incredibly alluring. She didn't think she could say no to this man even if she wanted to.

The fact was that she didn't want to.

Gray's fingers edged further up her thighs while he maintained eye contact with her. Lucy was finding it harder and harder to breathe as his hands slipped underneath her towel. Her eyes slid shut as his cool fingers brushed against the outside of her heated sex. She wanted him so bad that it was almost unbearable.

The obnoxious chiming of Lucy's doorbell brought both mages out of their lustful stupor. Lucy jerked from Gray's grasp and took a few steps away from him for good measure. Her mind was racing with the possibilities of what could have happened if one of their teammates had walked in without knocking, as they were prone to do.

"You better get that." The doorbell had sounded again. "I'll jump in the shower." With a cheesy grin and a wink, Gray was shutting the bathroom door behind him.

Lucy continued to stare after him dreamily, and would have remained that way for much longer if the bell had not been pushed again. This time, four banging knocks followed the chiming.

With a frustrated grunt, Lucy stomped to her door. She would give whoever it was that was so impatient a good tongue lashing for interrupting her and Gray. Though she would never admit exactly what it was that they had interrupted.

Lucy ripped the door open with a glare ready to penetrate the soul of even the most fearsome mage, and was met head on with a fierce storm cloud.

She stood dumbfounded for a moment. She was in utter shock. Gray was naked in her shower, and the woman that loved him more than anything in the world stood at her doorstep looking ready to murder her. Her heart leapt into her throat, and she clutched at her towel.

Oh god. This was horrible! She was only in her towel.

"Juvia demands to know what is going on!" The murderous look darkened as Juvia took in Lucy's garb.

She took a step forward, and looked over Lucy's shoulder into the apartment. Lucy tried to discreetly pull the door shut a little more, hoping to block Juvia's gaze from the bathroom.

"Juvia! What are you doing here?" She tried not to sound suspicious, but surprised at the visit.

"Where is Gray-Sama?" The Water Mage narrowed her eyes dangerously at the petite blond and placed her hand against the door.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about!" She couldn't possibly be expected to stay calm in this situation!

The woman looked like she was about to rip Lucy's slender throat out and drink her blood. It wasn't her fault that her voice was high and squeaky and sounded totally guilty.

"Juvia doesn't believe you!" Juvia pushed the door open, and caused Lucy to stumble back a few steps.

With Lucy out of the way, Juvia entered and closed the door behind her. Her boots thumped ominously against the carpeting as she slowly advanced on the quailing Lucy.

She didn't have her whip or keys! She was going to die!

"Tell. Me. Where. Gray. Sama. Is." The words were forced from between clenched teeth, and Lucy truly pitied Gray in that moment.

This woman was a whole different level of psychotic. She was trying to intimidate and bully Lucy just to find out where Gray was when he had made it perfectly clear that he wasn't interested in her like that.

Lucy had had enough of this shit. She wouldn't be treated like this in her own home by a fellow guild member!

"It's none of your business, Juvia." She stood up straighter and met Juvia's eyes with a matching ferocity.

That startled the girl and caused her to pause. She cocked her head to the side in confusion, causing her undulating blue hair to fall in waves around her face.

"None of Juvia's business?" Her voice was quiet and unsure. "None of Juvia's business?!" It leapt to a screech as she launched herself at Lucy.

The two women collapsed to the floor and fought for dominance in a tangle of limbs. Juvia had a handful of Lucy's still damp hair, and Lucy struggled to pushed the girl off of her. They tumbled, and tugged, and tore at each other. Each woman could only think of conquering the other in that moment.

That was until the bathroom door creaked open to reveal a dripping wet Gray holding a towel to his head and dressed in nothing but his pants. Both women froze in their assaults on each other.

Lucy had gained the top position. She had been proud at first of her ability to overpower Juvia, but now she regretted it immensely.

Somehow the towel had been torn from her body during the struggle, and she now sat atop Juvia with her breasts on display in what most would consider a very compromising manner.

She had one hand on Juvia's ample chest, and the other wrapped in her long hair. The angle had forced her breasts into extremely close proximity of Juvia's face.

Juvia had her own hands pressed against Lucy's sternum and the hand that held her blue locks.

It didn't look like they had been trying to kill each other, and both women's faces turned crimson with shame.

"Eeeek!" Lucy was the first to react by leaping from Juvia and covering her breasts with her arm while searching for her towel.

Though Juvia's response was slower, it was much more dignified.

"Juvia was not aware of Gray-sama's relationship with Love Rival. If Juvia had known…" She blinked back tears while climbing to her feet. She refused to make eye contact with either mage as she straightened her rumpled clothing and hat.

Gray didn't move. Lucy imagined that he was in shock.

Without another word, Juvia exited Lucy's apartment and closed the door softly behind her.

Lucy spotted her towel on the floor, and turned an unhealthy shade of red. It was at Gray's feet. She followed his feet up his legs, and to his bare chest where her gaze lingered momentarily before searching out his eyes.

He was smirking again.

He bent down and snagged her towel, dangling it in front of him.

"Need this?" Lucy shook her head defiantly.

The matter of Juvia was pushed to the back of her mind as she concentrated on getting out of this situation with as much of her pride intact as possible.

"I'm dry anyways." She turned away from Gray and boldly made her way across the room.

Without turning to see his reaction, she located a pair of lacy blue panties in her drawer, and stepped into them. A matching bra followed. Once her breasts were secured, she turned to rifle through her clean clothes that she had yet to put away. She tugged on a tight fitting grey tank top, and bent to retrieve the black skirt that had fallen to floor.

Turning to face Gray and slip her skirt on, she was met with a nose bleeding Ice Mage.

Evidently his resolve to remain unfazed had slipped.

"Let's get to the guild. We can eat there and report to Mira." A smile lit her face, and she completely forgot that there was an insane mage bent on murder waiting for the chance to strangle her for getting close to Gray.

* * *

"Another drink, Mira." Laxus pushed his empty glass towards the Take Over Mage and glared across the room.

He had been extremely moody the last few days, and Mira didn't have to think hard to figure out why.

Lucy and Gray had entered the guild while all but hanging on each other three days ago. Part of Mira had been delighted. The other part was horrified by the reaction Laxus had.

He had become broodingly quiet, and did nothing but drink. He even refused to take a job with his team. Freed had approached Mira with his worry for his friend, but Mira didn't have a clue as to what she should do.

If Lucy and Gray were happy together then wasn't that good? Should she try to break them up to make Laxus happy?

Despite the bad decisions Laxus had made in the past, he still deserved to be happy. However, the man refused to admit that he thought of Lucy as anything more than an annoying distraction. Didn't Lucy deserve to be with someone who thought of her as more than that?

Mira sighed at the thoughts that continuously plagued her. She didn't even have time to lecture the rowdy guild members as they became increasingly intoxicated this evening.

"Sure, not a problem." Mira grinned at Laxus and turned to refill his drink.

If the man wanted to drink himself into oblivion, then that was his choice.

Mira figured that she really didn't have the right to step in and force Gray and Lucy apart. It was their choice to make.

As she set the glass down in front of the Lightening Dragon Slayer, Mira followed his gaze back to the table where Lucy and Gray sat with Natsu, Lisanna, Happy, and Erza.

Natsu had yet to notice anything different between the two, and Lisanna seemed glad for the chance to take matters into her own hands with Natsu. Erza had taken note of the relationship almost immediately, and spent every spare moment instructing Gray on the proper way to treat a woman. Happy sat in the middle of the table with a platter piled with fish looking like the happiest cat in the world.

Mira shook her head in confusion as she watched Lucy's brown eyes disengage from Erza, who was currently scolding Gray, and search out Laxus. She glanced between the Celestial Mage and the grumpy blond Slayer and was even more confused by what she saw.

Lucy was boldly returning Laxus' gaze from across the room.

Laxus was glaring at her, and she was blinking owlishly at him in return.

Then it dawned on Mira Jane: Lucy had no idea that Laxus was even remotely interested in her. She still assumed that he wanted nothing to do with her because of the confrontation in the guild hall that she had overheard only part of. It had completely slipped her mind that she had never told Lucy about that! She had been so excited about the new couple that seemed to be just over the horizon that she ignored the underlying issue.

Now there were even more problems to sort through.

It seemed to Mira that Lucy really cared about Gray. Although they weren't officially dating, she knew that something had happened between them from what Laxus had said. They didn't hold hands or kiss in public, but Mira suspected that some of that might be going on behind the scenes from the way they blushed and giggled around each other while in the guild.

If Lucy cared about Gray, and he cared for her in return then she was right back where she started. She still didn't know if she should say anything to Lucy.

However, she still had to factor Juvia into the situation. Although Mira couldn't do anything about Gray not returning the Water Mage's feelings, she was worried about the effect it would have on Lucy.

Juvia had been stalking the girl ever since she had found out about the two. Lucy had continued in her normal blissful obliviousness even while Juvia did horrible things to her from behind the scenes.

Mira watched in a horrified paralysis as Juvia had tried to drop an anvil on Lucy's head as she entered the guild that very morning. The disaster had barely been averted by chance. Levy had called out to Lucy, and she had hastened towards her friend. The slight angle change and the quickening of her pace had been enough to keep her out of harm's way.

As Lucy had met up with Levy and waited for Gray, Juvia had tried poisoning her drink, locking her in the bathroom, hitting her with a blow dart meant for tranquilizing animals, and feeding her dog food. All of these potential tragedies had been avoided through sheer luck or the intervention on Mira Jane herself.

It had actually taken quite a lot out of the oldest Strausse sibling.

Now that Gray was at the guild, Juvia had retreated to the darkest corner and plotted dark misdeeds. It had effectively relocated a grumpy Gajeel, who now sat at the bar near Laxus.

Without waiting for Gajeel to say something, Mira brought him another brandy. Though she gave him a friendly smile, the Iron Dragon Slayer merely growled in return. Evidently alcohol wasn't going to make him any happier at having to relocate. Mira frowned and focused her attention on cleaning dirty dishes and pondering the situation between Fairy Tail's Celestial Mage and two very sexy men.

For a moment her eyes filled with hearts and her movements ceased as she contemplated what it would be like to have two men fighting for her love. Then her mind replaced the image of her with the image of Lucy, and she nearly dropped her glass.

That was it! Lucy certainly deserved the best. Everyone knew that she did, and there was not a single person that would argue otherwise. Each man had good qualities, and each would definitely come with their own baggage. Mira figured that she couldn't intervene directly, but some background scheming couldn't hurt. This way she would simply be leveling the playing field for Laxus, and giving Lucy more options.

She simply couldn't wait to get her plan into action, and nearly broke the glass in her hand as she practically slammed it on the counter in her haste to get upstairs to Master's office.

* * *

Lucy shook her head, causing her long golden hair to fall around her face. Her friends were completely absorbed in Erza's tirade about love at this point and didn't even notice when she left the table.

Her feet dragged as she slowly made her way to the guild exit. She had sat there all day with her friends, and she had been happy. She thought she had everything, and wouldn't have dreamed of asking for more.

Although nothing was official between her and Gray, she had a wonderful group of friends and a gorgeous guy that was completely smitten with her. He came over almost every night to watch a movie, have dinner, or just to say good night. He had only kissed her once, and it wasn't a proper kiss considering it had been interrupted by a certain Water Mage and his lips had never actually made it to her own.

She had everything. That was until her eyes had met the icy blue orbs of a certain Laxus Dreyer. Her world had come crashing down in that instant as she recalled Mira Jane letting loose her most closely guarded secret, and the uninterested refusal that had flown from the Lightening Slayer's mouth without a second thought. Lucy's heart had done a sad little flip as those memories replayed in her mind.

It was something she didn't understand. Why would she care? Gray obviously liked her, and he was wonderful. Laxus had never been especially kind to her, and had made it clear that he wasn't interested. So then why was there a throbbing longing lodged within her chest for the man across the bar?

She couldn't explain it, and so she decided it would be best to just head home. She knew that Gray would come looking for her, but she just needed to be alone to think. Instead of taking her normal route home, Lucy allowed her feet to take her down an unfamiliar path. Though she knew that it would eventually take her to the same place, she had never taken this particular way home, and certainly not in the dark.

The further she got, the more she realized that this had been a bad idea. Her mind wasn't even able to focus on the problem at hand, and was instead filled with images of perverts jumping out of the darkness and attacking her. The streetlights were few and far between, and those that were present let off the dimmest of glows. She would certainly not be taking this way ever again.

Lucy wrapped her arms around herself and quickened her pace. The only thing she could do now was hurry home!

The sound of heavy footsteps behind her alarmed her so greatly that she shouted in terror and fled as quickly as she could towards the relative safety of her apartment.

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Let me know what you think! Who do you think is behind Lucy? I would be willing to do a one shot for the first correct guess. Also, let me know what you think I should do with Juvia. I really love her character. Should I develop her further?

Review and let me know! Even if you have reviewed on a previous chapter it is nice to know what you think about THIS particular chapter so that I can continually improve.


	5. Chapter 5

The next chapter has arrived! I hope you all enjoy this. Also, I just wanted to let everyone know that AkariDreyar has won the one-shot request. I will be posting it soon so keep an eye out for it!

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Secret Jealousies Ch 5

Lucy's heart hammered in her chest so hard that it hurt. Her breath came in gasping pants that burned her throat and chest. Sweat glistened on her forehead, and her keys banged against her thigh as she forced herself to run faster.

In her panic she had turned blindly down an alley where there were no lights. Tears pooled in her chocolate eyes as she stumbled through the darkness.

The heavy footsteps behind her quickened their pace as they also turned into the alley. Lucy gasped and tripped over a trashcan that had been upended; landing on her ass in a very undignified manner. Her skirt bunched around her thighs, and Lucy leaned back on her hands in an effort to scoot backwards.

The shadow that belonged to the footsteps advanced on Lucy's fallen form, and a sound of muted terror crawled up her throat as a clawed hand reached out to strangle the life out of her. The glowing red eyes of the demon that would be her demise taunted her from the inky blackness, and the creature's wings lay folded at its sides.

Lucy closed her eyes. She didn't want to see the horrendous creature when it took her life. She would rather try to remember the happy moments she had shared with Fairy Tail. Even as she tried to force her mind to focus on those memories, she shivered in fearful anticipation of her untimely death.

A clawed hand closed around her shoulder, and Lucy screamed.

"Kyaaaa!" Her arms lashed out and she blindly swung at the demon creature assaulting her.

"Ow! What the fuck, Bunny Girl?" The guttural voice of Gajeel reached Lucy's ears, and she tentatively chanced a peek between her slatted fingers.

"G-Gajeel?" It really was Gajeel standing before her.

Her overactive imagination had turned the gruff Iron Dragon Slayer into a demon. She could see now that the wings she had seen folded at the demon's side was merely his coat, and the clawed hand was just Gajeel's creepy clawed hand. The glowing red eyes could easily have been mistaken as demon eyes as well. In the end she blamed it on him for being Gajeel.

"The fuck are you doin' out here?" He stood before her with his arms crossed and watched indifferently as she scrambled to her feet.

"Walking home. What does it look like?" She was beyond irritated with the Slayer for reasons mostly unknown.

"It looks like you're getting yourself lost and freakin' out." Lucy looked around and found that the darkened alley she had wandered into was a dead end. There was no way out. It made her shiver to think of what would have happened if the person stalking her had been someone intending to harm her.

Instead of thanking Gajeel for finding her, Lucy shrugged her shoulders and started back down the alley from the direction she had already come. She would have to backtrack. She wasn't even interested in why Gajeel had been following her. All she could think of was getting home and locking her door behind her.

"Oi, asshole!" Lucy turned back at that. It wasn't very often that someone like Gajeel called someone like Lucy an asshole. "I didn't follow you all the way out here to tell you it's dangerous." Lucy cocked an eyebrow. So he hadn't been trying to help her. "I need to ask ya somethin'."

"So ask." Not even Lucy could adequately describe her attitude. She was usually cheery and sweet to everyone, including the gruff man before her.

"Fuckin' girls and their crazy attitudes," Gajeel muttered while taking a few steps closer to her. "Listen, it's about Juvia." Both of Lucy's eyebrows shot up to her hairline at the implications flooding her mind. "I wanted to know what was goin' on with you and the Ice Princess. I know it's not any of my business, but it sure has Juvia pissed off."

"Y-you and Juvia?" Lucy held up both of her forefingers and slowly brought them together.

"What?! No." Gajeel made a puking noise and shook his head. "Juvia is the only one that has always been there. She was my only friend back when I was a raving lunatic." Lucy adamantly nodded her head in agreement to the lunatic part, and Gajeel ignored her. "I don't want her to be unhappy."

Lucy was surprised at the admission from Gajeel. He really cared about Juvia. "Wow. Um, ok. Well I don't really know what to tell you about me and Gray. I mean, we aren't dating or anything, but we like each other and we hang out sometimes."

"Riiiight. Ok." Gajeel gave Lucy a look that said he definitely didn't believe her. "So where'd you get that hickey on your neck?" He pointed an accusing finger at Lucy's slim neck.

"What?!" She instantly slapped a hand to her neck where Gray had been sucking on it the other night. How did she not notice that?!

"Gihihi," Lucy turned to glare at Gajeel with a blush on her cheeks. "You can't hide shit from me. Anyways, I know you can't help how you feel, but I think you both at least owe it to her to talk it out." Lucy lowered her hand and stared at the ground in shame.

Although Gray and Lucy had no idea of the turn their relationship would take once they returned from their job, they still had not made any effort to talk to Juvia. Gray had completely avoided the girl, and Lucy had chosen to do the same. She knew now that the choice she had made had been the wrong one. Juvia's heart was broken. She at least deserved to know the truth, and to know that she still had friends if she wanted them.

"I'll talk to her tomorrow." Lucy's voice was barely a whisper.

"Good. Now when you go back out of this alley you need to take a right and then another right. That should get you back on the normal path to your house."

"How do you know that…WAIT!" He was already walking away. "You're not going to walk me home?"

"You're a big girl, I think you can handle it." He called over his shoulder and disappeared into the shadows.

Lucy shivered. She was all alone, and she could guarantee that if someone else was out there Gajeel wouldn't be there to save her.

"Haahahha." She forced a laugh out loud and pulled her keys from her belt. Gajeel was right, she could handle herself. She would summon Plue and ask him to accompany her home. It was quite late by now, and she imagined that pretty much everyone would be in bed. The only people other than herself that would still be out were creepers (including Gajeel).

She pulled Plue's silver key from the ring at her hip and summoned him. Having the little creature wobbling along at her side made her feel safer. Even though she knew that Plue wasn't a combat spirit, just having one of her spirits near hear made her feel better.

"Puun pun," Lucy bent to pick up her little Canis Minor and hugged him tight to her chest. He was just too adorable. She made her way out of the alley, and made a right turn as Gajeel had instructed her to do. After making her way down a slightly better lit back road for a few hundred feet, Lucy again made a right turn. She sighed in happiness when she found that Gajeel had not been lying to her. She was indeed back on the main road.

Forgetting her earlier worries, Lucy skipped home. She made it all the way to her apartment door without incident. She thanked Plue for his company, and he disappeared back to the Celestial World in a shower of golden sparkles. Lucy smiled a weary smile, and pulled her house key from her key ring. She inserted it into the key hole, and turned the lock with a quiet 'click'.

She lightly kicked the door open with the toe of her boot while absent mindedly replacing her key on the ring. Just as she was about to enter her home and shut the door behind her, a hand grabbed her arm hard enough to bruise.

"Ack." She tried to scream, but a hand promptly covered her mouth in anticipation of the noise.

Her large brown eyes widened in fear. She had made it all the way home only to be assaulted at her doorstep! How unfair was that? She struggled against her attacker, but it was futile.

The unknown individual forced Lucy into her own apartment and locked the door behind them. The lights were switched on, and Lucy was momentarily blinded. With a rough shove forwards, Lucy was freed from the painful grasp. She spun around as quickly as she could manage in her dazed state, and raised a random key in preparation for battle.

She was more than surprised to find none other than Mira Jane Strauss standing in her doorway wearing a cheesey grin and carrying a shopping bag. Lucy wondered how the woman had managed to attack her and force her into the apartment while carrying that thing. She shrugged it off as something she was probably better off not knowing.

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Mira sat at the edge of Lucy's bed and waited with barely contained anticipation for the girl to return from the bathroom. She wasn't sure why she had insisted on changing in there. Mira had seen the Celestial Mage naked too many times to count. In fact, quite a few members of the guild had seen her naked, including members of the opposite sex. She was too excited to argue over something so trivial with her blond friend, though. Mira would let Lucy change wherever she wanted so long as she did it quickly.

Lucy had been terrified when Mira had assaulted her on her doorstep. Mira could barely contain her mirth as she forced the girl inside. She probably thought she was about to be robbed. Mira shrugged her shoulders. All was fair in love and the torture of your friends for your own amusement.

She idly kicked her feet against the floor and leaned back on her elbows. She was wearing her usual crimson gown this evening, and frowned down at it. She had picked out an outfit for every one of her close friends. Her own outfit was waiting at home for her, and she couldn't wait for a certain someone to see her in it.

"I don't think I can wear this, Mira." Although those are the words that left Lucy's mouth as she emerged from the bathroom and approached Mira, that is not what the snowy haired mage heard. What she heard was more along the lines of, 'Oh, Mira! You are so wonderful! I can't wait to fall into the arms of -'. The last part was fuzzy because she still wasn't sure who she wanted Lucy to end up with.

"I know!" Mira replied while jumping up. Lucy gave her friend a confused look which Mira waved aside. "Turn." She twirled her finger in the air, and Lucy begrudgingly obeyed.

The dress Mira had chosen for Lucy was a stunner. It was blue, and tight all over the place. Her thighs were bared for hungry eyes to devour, and her ass would be as well if she bent over even a little. The front was a cross strap that revealed a diamond shaped area of cleavage before the straps wrapped up and around her neck. The back was completely bare.

"Gorgeous!" She knew that both Gray and Laxus would be drooling over her in that outfit. She just hoped that her plan worked to get in some alone time for Laxus with the stunning blond. She nearly fainted at the thought of the muscle bound Slayer sweeping Lucy off her feet and romancing her.

"Seriously. This is a little much." Tears pooled in Mira's eyes.

"I spent over 100,000 jewels on that dress just because it screamed 'Lucy' when I saw it. I knew it was meant for you." Lucy didn't need to know whether or not that was an accurate price. All she needed to know was that Mira was crying. No one could resist a teary eyed Mira Jane, and she knew it.

"Agh. Fine. I guess I don't have a choice then."

"Yay!" Mira hopped up and down and clapped excitedly while Lucy smiled at her.

"Are you going to tell me exactly where I have to wear this thing?"

Mira nodded her head emphatically, "Sure. You're wearing it to the party tomorrow night." She dug through the shopping bag she had brought with her and pulled out a pair of black stilettoes with leopard print on the sides and handed them to Lucy.

"Party? Tomorrow? That's kind of short notice." Lucy took the shoes warily and slipped them onto her feet. They were a perfect match. Mira beamed at her friend.

"Perfect. You look amazing. It is kind of short notice, but it's a reward for Fairy Tail's hard work."

Lucy nodded her head, and turned to admire her reflection in the mirror. Even Mira could tell that her friend liked her appearance.

"Also, it will be a chance for some of the mages to get to know each other better." Lucy gave Mira a questioning look through the mirror's reflection, and Mira held up a finger for silence when she saw that the girl was about to ask more questions. "Everyone will randomly be paired with another mage to participate in the games I came up with!"

Mira smiled in glee even as she watched her friend groan in dismay.

"Anyways, I need to get going! It's already pretty late. The party is scheduled to begin around 7." Mira collected her bag and attempted to make a clean getaway.

"Um, Mira…why did you have to bring the outfit to me so late at night?" Crap. She hadn't been fast enough to escape questioning.

"Well I was just so excited that I couldn't wait!"

"What about the other girls?"

"I'll bring their outfits to them in the morning."

"Riiight."

Mira waved at her friend and ducked out the door. She didn't want to have to explain that right then Lucy's love life was the most exciting, and so it took priority. She wanted to make sure that Lucy had all the time she needed before arriving at the guild the next evening. She also didn't want the girl finding out that Mira needed extra time to set Lucy up to be paired with Laxus.

She really couldn't help herself in this situation. She wasn't known as 'Match Maker Mira' for nothing. Her specialty was setting her fellow mages up.

Mira had several other matches planned for the party other than just Lucy and Laxus. She knew that she had to be careful how obvious she was or she would blow her cover..not that she really cared. She just didn't want Lucy to be suspicious. It was important that Lucy and Laxus thought that the pairing was random.

She also didn't want Gray to catch on. If he thought that they had purposely been put together, then he would be jealous and angry. This way he would have no reason to be mad at Lucy for spending time with the Lightening Dragon Slayer.

Mira skipped down the steps from Lucy's apartment, and wandered down the road. Her head was full of visions of different couples. She didn't even stop to consider her own love life.

Although she was definitely interested in Freed, she never had time to do much of anything about it. Even though Mira seemed carefree to the rest of the guild, she really worried about her friends constantly. She couldn't stand it when one of them cried or was upset. She had made it her job to be the backbone of Fairy Tail. She would always be there for her friends. Although many people didn't understand it, that included meddling in their love lifes.

Tomorrow night would be one of her greatest challenges. She needed to bring several couples together without arousing suspicion.

Makarov had readily agreed to the party, but only if Mira agreed to dressing the women in skimpy outfits. She had laughed at Master's perverted nature, and readily agreed. There wasn't a woman in Fairy Tail that didn't relish the idea of showing off her body. That had made Mira's job a little bit easier because there also wasn't a man in Fairy Tail that didn't relish the idea of ogling their beautiful fairies' bodies.

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Are you guys excited for the next chapter? It will mainly focus on LaLu with a bit of other pairings thrown in. Let me know who you are rooting for! Leave me ideas for what sort of games should be included in the next chapter :)


	6. Chapter 6

I'm so sorry for the delay in updating this! Please forgive me. I have been busy planning my son's first birthday! Anyways, enjoy your chapter!

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Secret Jealousies Ch 6

Lucy stood in front of her mirror admiring her reflection dubiously while Natsu picked his nose in the background and Happy colored on a piece of paper.

She really wasn't sure about this. She knew that she looked wonderful, but it didn't really seem appropriate for getting know someone or playing games. Mira was definitely up to something.

Sighing and resigning herself to whatever fate it was that Mira Jane had decided for her, for no mage would willingly anger the Demon, Lucy swept her long hair up into a tight bun with two long strands and her bangs framing her face. She admired her reflection once more.

The dress was skimpy, but still managed to not be skanky..somehow. She had opted for light makeup to avoid looking like a prostitute, wearing only a glittery tan eyeshadow and lipgloss. A pair of small diamond studs shone from her earlobes, and the matching black leopard print clutch that Mira had left on her bed as a surprise completed the outfit.

"You ready yet?" Natsu was wearing a pair of slacks, black tennis shoes, and a white button up shirt. Mira had really insisted that everyone dress up for the occasion. Lucy wondered what type of "games" they would be playing while dressed like this.

"I suppose…" Lucy replied despondently.

Natsu gave Lucy a cheesy grin and thumbs up. "You look great, Luce!"

"He liiiiiiikes her." Happy held up the picture he had been coloring and showed it to Lucy and Natsu. It was a picture of Lucy wearing a bikini and Natsu with hearts in his eyes.

"Give me that, you stupid cat!" Lucy tried to snatch the paper from Happy, but he flew out of her reach and over to Natsu.

"This is great, Happy! Let's put it up on the wall with all the rest of our Lucy memorabilia when we get home!" He folded the picture and stuffed it in his pocket.

"Checheche." Happy giggled from behind his paw.

Lucy glared at the pair as they leapt out her window. She wondered if they would ever learn to use her door. She supposed they wouldn't, and locked the door behind her as she exited her apartment. She had a terrible feeling that things were going to be weird tonight.

The walk to the guild had taken much longer for Lucy than it had for Natsu and Happy. That was partially because Happy flew Natsu there using his Aera, and partially because Lucy was afraid she would twist her ankle if she walked too quickly in the heels Mira had provided. That woman really was a Demon.

When Lucy pushed open the Guild Hall doors, she found herself greeted by the smiling faces of her friends. That immediately cheered her up. They had all been subjected to Mira Jane's dress standards, and they weren't any worse for wear because of it. If they could deal with it, then so could she.

Erza waved to her from across the room, where she stood with a drink held casually in her pale hand. There was a little yellow umbrella decorating the pink liquid. Erza's scarlet hair was done up in a loose bun with two long strands framing her face, similar to Lucy's hair. She wore a long purple gown with a slit running up the side that showed a dangerous amount of her thigh. The bottom edge of the dress was decorated with black flowers that climbed the material in a graceful spiral. The top of the dress was a cross strap that exposed the woman's massive cleavage. The outfit was completed with a pair of velvety black heels.

Lucy tentatively waved back to her friend and stepped into the crowd that separated the two. She had only made a few feet when two tiny hands clasped onto Lucy's upper arm and pulled her to a halt.

"Lucy! I'm glad you're here. Wow! You look great!" Levy stood smiling up at the Celestial Mage wearing ( ). Lucy couldn't help but find the shy little bookworm sexy in her outfit. It was odd for her friend to wear such clothes, but it was likely a result of Mira's meddling.

"Thanks, Levy. So do you! Oh look." She nudged her friend and pointed discreetly across the room where Gajeel, who seemed to be wearing all black, and Lily sat. "He's staring at you!"

"Lu-chan! Shhhh!" Levy tried to cover Lucy's mouth with her tiny hand, but Lucy pushed the girl towards the Iron Dragon Slayer. She just wanted to get to the safety of Erza.

On her way to Erza's side, Lucy spotted several more of her friends.

Lisanna had attached herself to Natus's side, and was wearing a daring white dress that showed off her slender legs, and barely covered her ass. The top was modest and showed the slightest amount of cleavage. Natsu was oblivious to the gorgeous girl that was practically begging for his attention as he arm wrestled Gray. Lucy avoided eye contact with both of them lest she be side tracked once more. She couldn't help noticing how nice Gray looked in the navy blue collared shirt he had paired with the khaki cargo pants. He still wore his standard boots and the chain that hung at his waist. He did indeed look gorgeous as hell.

Gildarts sat at the bar in his normal attire. Apparently not even Mira could convince that man to put on some nice clothes. Cana was trying to edge away from her overprotective father, who was no doubt upset by her ensemble. She was wearing a provocative pink dress that pressed her breasts up in a lacy display and ended in a loose short skirt. Lucy hoped that she never had a daughter.

Lucy pushed past a few more people, and finally found herself standing before Titania. She couldn't be more relieved. She gladly took the matching proffered drink that the woman thrust at her, and took a sip. The cool alcohol slid down her throat and sent waves of refreshment through her body.

"Are you nervous?" Erza had taken note of the way Lucy's hand trembled around the glass she held.

"No. Well a little. I'm worried about what Mira has planned."

"Oh don't worry!" Mira popped up behind Erza's shoulder.

"Kyaa!" Lucy dropped her drink and shouted in terror. Erza remained calm, and snatched the drink out of the air like a freaking ninja.

"It won't be that bad. You'll have fun, I promise!" Mira was wearing ( ).

"I'm sure we will." Erza coolly handed the glass back to Lucy and smiled sweetly at Mira. Mira nodded her head in satisfaction and wandered off to scare the living hell out of someone else.

"What kind of madness do you think she has planned?" Lucy made sure to lean in close to Erza and whisper this time.

"We're about to find out." Erza took hold of Lucy's shoulder and turned her to face the middle of the room where Mira stood with a stack of cards in her hand.

"Alright everyone. It's time to get started." The noise didn't lessen at all, and the sweet smile fell off of her face. It was replaced with a frown and a horrible aura that had every member of Fairy Tail standing at attention with their mouths shut. "Alright then." The smile was back. "I have all of your names written on these cards. The men are in one stack," she held up half the cards that were blue in her left hand, "and the women are in the other." She waved the pink stack in her right hand. "I'll shuffle the cards and pick one of each at random. These will be the pairs for the evening. No arguing!"

Everyone nodded in agreement as Mira shuffled the cards together and picked the first two.

"Wendy," the little Dragon Slayer stepped forward in her frilly blue dress, "and Gildarts." Lucy didn't miss the frown that marred MiraJane's perfect face as she announced the match, though it was there for only a fraction of a second. Gildarts shrugged his shoulders as if he couldn't care less and drug Wendy back to the bar.

"Next. Gajeel and" Levy stood up in anticipation. Everyone knew she liked him. Surely Mira wouldn't be so cruel as to pair him with someone else. "Juvia."

"Nooo! Juvia wants to be with Gray-sama!" The Water Mage wailed and twisted at her long black dress.

"Pairings are final!" Juvia's sobs quieted in the face of the Demon, and she plodded over to the table with Gajeel. Levy remained standing next to the pair in shock. "Levy and Jet." That didn't come as too much of a surprise.

Levy joined Jet at the table, and Lucy noticed several members of Fairy Tail slipping out the back door. She wished she could do the same.

"Elfman and Kinana" Lucy didn't miss the way Evergreen's fan snapped in irritation at Elfman being paired with someone other than herself. However, it seemed that the members of the guild were done questioning Mira's pairings. She did say they were going to be random, after all. Kinana's gold dress shimmered as she moved to take her place next to the middle Take Over sibling.

"Lisanna aaaand Bickslow." Lucy noticed a small smile of satisfaction cross the woman's face as she called out this pair. Perhaps she had meant for those two to be together. Lisanna on the other hand looked devastated as she glared at the Seith Mage and refused to move to his table. Evergreen found pleasure in this and proceeded to tease the poor guy.

"Erza and Natsu." Erza nodded in acceptance and strode away from Lucy's side. She felt momentarily exposed without her red headed friend beside her, but that feeling subsided into amusement as she watched Erza grab Natsu by his scruff and pull him to a table. None would have recognized the frightened boy before them as Salamander if they hadn't already known him.

Lucy waited patiently as several more pairs were called. These were some such as Mickey Chickentiger, and Macao. Though they were her guildmates and she knew them, she wasn't particularly close to them. She was just watching and waiting for her name to be called. She knew that with Mira's meddling she would end up with Gray. The Matchmaker wouldn't be able to help herself in this situation.

Finally it seemed that just about everyone was paired off. Wendy had ended up with Droy, and Evergreen was throwing a tantrum over being paired with Nab.

"Ok! We're almost ready to start the first game! Finally we have Freed and…" Mira's face paled as she flipped the pink card in her hand over as if she just didn't understand. Obviously something had gone wrong. It seemed that she was confident in this pairing even though so many others had gone awry. "Laki." She whispered the name and watched in dismay as the purple haired beauty sidled up to Freed in her light blue gown.

Her gaze darkened with the Demon's aura for a moment, and everyone was afraid that she was about to fly across the room and rip poor Laki's throat out. Thankfully, the murderous intent subsided and was replaced with the soft smile that Fairy Tail had become accustomed to.

"Alright. Then we have Lucy and Laxus. That leaves me with Gray." Lucy nodded to herself with satisfaction and took two steps towards Gray before the words actually sunk in.

"What?" She looked at Mira for confirmation, and found her wearing her 'no nonsense' face. She wasn't getting out of this one. A single glance at Gray told her that he wasn't happy about this at all. In fact, he looked completely pissed.

"Let's get started!" Mira tossed the cards to the ground and procured a new stack from someplace. Lucy couldn't tell from where. This woman was just full of unwelcome surprises. "Charades!"

Lucy groaned. This was going to suck.

Lucy's face burned crimson. This was horrible! She didn't think she could stand the embarrassment any longer! Juvia and Makarov had won charades somehow. Lucy didn't think it was fair at all. Juvia could use her water in various ways, and Makarov used his Giant's ability to shrink or enlarge his hands and feet. It really should have been considered cheating. Lucy wasn't allowed to use her Spirits because Mira said they were considered other potential players. Loke was on Mickey's team, after all.

Lucy was currently crossing the room with a spoon in her mouth, handle first. The spoon was filled with some sort of daiquiri. She was supposed to be spoon feeding the beverage to Laxus without the use of her hands, who waited with the rest of the men at the other side of the room. The first team to finish the entire daiquiri won. Those who spilled theirs were disqualified.

She didn't think she could do it. Several teams were already out due to spilled drinks. She wasn't sure if it was intentional or not. She guessed that it was.

Sweat ran down the side of Lucy's face as she neared Laxus. She really couldn't do it.

She glanced to the side and watched Gray open his mouth to receive the spoon from Mira. Further down she saw that Erza and Natsu were also participating. In fact, it seemed that they were competing vigorously.

She supposed that she really shouldn't be so worried. If Gray was doing it, then she should too. Right?

Her moment to decide was gone as her feet brought her toe to toe with the Lightening Dragon Slayer. If she spilled the drink now, it would be obvious that it was intentional. She was sure that if she did so, Mira would kill her.

She squeezed her eyes shut and leaned forward.

"If you don't watch what you're doing you'll get that all over my coat." The sudden baritone of Laxus' voice startled her, and she nearly dropped the spoon right then. She steadied herself, and leaned forward further to deposit the spoon in the waiting man's mouth.

Unfortunately, he was much too tall. Her brown eyes looked up to find his cerulean gaze locked onto her.

He was laughing! He was enjoying her embarrassment.

Her cheeks burned with rage. She refused to give up. He would enjoy that even more. She was sure of it. Instead she allowed her mind to go into over drive.

Lisanna had already fed Bickslow his first spoonful and was on her way back for a second. Mira and Erza were on their way to get their third. Wendy had dropped hers trying to reach Gildarts, and Freed had refused Laki's. Cana had drank her entire drink instead of taking it to Romeo (It was probably better that she didn't get the little mage drunk anyways), and Kinana was trying to figure out how to reach Elfman's mouth. Juvia had thrown her spoon across the room and ran to a corner to cry about not being with Gray.

Lucy gulped. She could do this. She would!

She took a deep breath through her nose and inched closer to the laughing man before her. She inched even closer, and ignored the startled look on his face as she pressed her breasts against his hard chest and leaned up on her tip toes. The maneuver required that she rub her breasts against him quite sensually, but she refused to think about that. Once she was all the way on her toes, she placed her full weight against him and deposited the spoon in his mouth…which was hanging open.

She knew she was going to regret it as soon as his mouth snapped shut and he grinned at her.

She should have just given up. Gray was openly glaring at the two of them, and Laxus proceeded to sneer back at the enraged Ice Mage.

Thankfully, Mira then arrived with her third spoonful. Lucy took this opportunity to race back to the other side with her spoon firmly in her mouth. She tried to suck the drool in that was pooling in her mouth, but felt a little bit escape. Whoever came up with this game was an idiot. Wait. It was probably Mira. She quickly took it back in case the oldest Strausse sibling had a way to listen in to people's thoughts.

She filled her spoon again, and was on her way back across the room with her eyes frimly on the ground when disaster struck.

Erza was getting ready to feed Natsu the daiquiri when the idiot spewed flames out of his mouth. The alcohol caught on fire, and Erza dropped the spoon in surprise. She immediately requipped a large two-handed sword and tried to chop Natsu's head off. She evidently didn't like losing.

Natsu attempted to run from her, but accidently caught Mira's dress on fire. Gray froze the flames, but also froze Evergreen's hair. Elfman jumped into the fray to defend his lady's honor, though he claimed that it was what any 'man' would do.

All hell proceeded to break loose.

All Lucy could think was, 'screw this'. She wasn't sticking around for this mayhem after being thoroughly embarrassed already.

She glanced around to make sure no one was looking, and then bolted for the back door.

She was free and clear for several yards. Then a voice called out to her.

"Blondie." Oh shit! He had followed her to gloat. She just knew something like this was going to happen. Oh well. It was best that she faced it now instead of letting the situation fester. "I wanted to ask you something." She turned and glared at him. Unfortunately, it didn't faze him. "When are you free?"

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I hope you enjoyed this chapter and are ready for some LaLu time! If you find you are bored waiting for my updates, then check out the other stories on my profile. I am already diligently working on the next chapter to this! I can't wait to write more LaLu fluff!

Who do you prefer? Laxus or Gray?


	7. Chapter 7

Here is the next chapter! I hope you enjoy this. I really wanted to get another update out as soon as I could.

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Secret Jealousies Ch 7

"E-excuse me?" She really didn't like the idea that she might be developing a stutter. She had just been surprised quite a bit lately. Who would have ever guessed that Laxus Dreyar out of all people would ask Lucy Heartfilia out? She definitely wouldn't have.

Her hands began sweating as she fidgeted nervously. It was actually quite a feat to fidget in those heels.

"I asked when you were free." A dark look of annoyance crossed his features. It was enough to send a shiver of fear down her spine. She hadn't forgotten the incident where he tried to destroy all of Magnolia. No, even though she was undeniably attracted to this man, she still feared him.

"W-well," there was that damn stutter again. Laxus was liable to think she was a complete idiot if things kept going like this. "I suppose I'm free tomorrow." She mentally smacked herself. She couldn't believe she just told Laxus she was free tomorrow. She hadn't missed the looks Gray had been shooting their way at the party. If he found out about this he was liable to be pissed: not that she intended to hide it from him.

"Good. I'll see you around nine." She supposed that he was only asking her out because she had rubbed her tits against him earlier. Men were disgusting dogs. She had been heart broken when he threw her affections aside without a second thought, Now she was going on a date with the very same man, and she wasn't given a choice in the matter.

Well, she assumed it was a date. She couldn't imagine why else Laxus would need to know when she was free.

"Wait!" He was already gone. Her voice reverberated against the canal uselessly. She shrugged her shoulders and continued home. She would forego walking along the canal tonight.

She entered her apartment, and locked the door behind her. Her shoes were discarded at the entrance, and she made her way into the bathroom. She didn't necessarily need a shower, but a quick rinse in some hot water would make a world of difference in her stress levels.

The water scalded her skin as she stepped underneath the spray after flinging her expensive dress on the couch and her under garments on the bathroom floor. She spent a mere five minutes enjoying her shower before she stepped out and wrapped a towel around herself. She needed to get some sleep.

She toweled her hair dry on her way to her dresser, then dropped the towel unceremoniously onto the floor and stepped into a clean pair of panties and a pair of pj shorts. Her bra and tank top soon followed.

She was turning back the sheets to climb into bed when she heard the click of her front door being unlocked. Lucy froze in place with her wet hair dripping onto her bed. Her heart leapt into her throat. Footsteps sounded as someone entered and closed the door behind them. They even locked the door!

Preparing herself for another assault, Lucy reached for the keys she had tossed onto her bed earlier before she got in the shower.

"Lucy? You here?" She let out the breath she had been holding and straightened. It was only Gray.

She clicked on a lamp and considered the situation. How had Gray gotten into her apartment anyways? She couldn't recall ever giving him a spare key. Hell, she didn't know how Erza had gotten a spare key to her apartment.

"Does everyone have a key to my place?" She questioned the half-naked Ice Mage before her. He merely shrugged his shoulder and grinned at her.

Her brown eyes took note of his bare torso, and she spotted his shirt near the door along with his coat. His stripping skills were certainly unmatched by any man she had ever met. Hell, she didn't think there was a woman alive that could strip better than Gray Fullbuster.

He noticed her gaze roving over his naked torso, and his grin turned into a predatory look. They hadn't gotten very far physically, and she could tell that he was ready for more. Lucy turned her body to face the Ice Mage and bit her lip. She wasn't sure if she was ready for what he so obviously wanted.

Everyone knew that while Gray wasn't a playboy like Loke, they did run together and Gray was no angel. Lucy was completely innocent compared to the man before her. It wasn't as if she was a virgin. She had her incident with some boy that didn't really care about her. It had been short lived and then he had left and never spoken to her again. However, that still left her completely inexperienced.

Gray took a step towards her, and Lucy stumbled backwards. Her back hit the bed, and Gray was instantly on her. He had somehow divested himself of his pants on the way. He was wearing only his necklace and his boots as he straddled her. His skin was cool against her own heated flesh, and she turned her head to the side to hide her embarrassed blush. Her golden hair fanned across the bed from the force of her action.

"Lucy." Gray leaned forward and breathed her name against her neck. She could feel the flesh there raise in anticipation. Instead of kissing her like she expected, he wrapped his hands around her wrists and pinned her to the bed. Her chocolate orbs looked up in confusion, but Gray refused to meet her gaze. Instead, he pursed his perfect lips and blew.

His cold breath blasted against her neck, causing her to shiver. She squirmed beneath him. Upon feeling the friction that caused, she immediately stilled. She could just barely see the sly grin that graced his face as he moved lower.

All she could think was 'Agghhhh. Not fair. Not fair. Ugnnn.'

His breath fell across the top of her cleavage, and Lucy nearly choked at the sensation. His icy ministrations caused a reaction she hadn't expected. Her nipples became erect, and she could feel them rubbing against the material of her bra. At the same time, the coil deep within her core tightened considerably.

She wasn't an idiot. Though she didn't have much experience when it came to sex, she knew how to touch herself. Being a young, single woman she had found out what felt good to her. Never once did she imagine that the cold would turn her on this way.

Lucy bent her knees and tried to push Gray away from her with the strength of her legs. She wasn't strong enough. Once again, she caused a delicious friction between the two.

"Lucy." There was her name again. She loved how he breathed it like he was high on her. It empowered her. It gave her confidence.

"Gray." The pleading in her voice caused Gray to look up from where his lips were hovering over her clavicle. She gently tugged her arm away from his grasp, and he relented. Once both of her hands were free, she pushed him off her gained the upper position.

She ignored the fact that he was still wearing his boots, and straddled his waist. The feeling of his cool skin against her heated thighs made her moan. This body contact was what she had been craving.

Lucy's pale hands ghosted across Gray's chest and up to his hair where she threaded them and tugged lightly. A playful smile graced her features as Gray moaned out loud. She was definitely feeling more confident now.

Sitting up, Lucy reached back and pulled her shirt free in one fluid motion. She wasn't as talented at stripping as Gray, but she thought she did pretty well. If the look on Gray's face was any indication, then she was doing fantastic.

His hands lifted up as if to grab her, but she pushed them away. No, she wanted to be in charge. He had given her the control and he wasn't getting it back.

With her back arched, Lucy reached up and twisted her arm backwards until her hand brushed against the clasp to her bra. She pinched the material together and was about to release it, allowing the material to fall away to reveal the round globes of flesh beneath.

"Princess. I have arrived with outfits for you to choose from for your date tomorrow." The sound of Virgo's voice broke the spell.

Actually, it did a lot more than that.

Gray bolted upright, causing Lucy to tumble from his lap. She sat on the bed, stunned as Gray leapt to his feet.

"Date? I didn't know you had a date tomorrow." He glared accusingly at Lucy. She knew it was wrong given the situation, but she couldn't help but find him cute standing there in nothing but his boxers and his boots.

"U-um well…about that." Lucy shot a withering glare at Virgo. She had spilled the beans right in the middle of their sexy time. The smirk that the pink-haired Celestial Spirit wore made Lucy think that perhaps she had arrived at that particular time on purpose.

"Punishment time, princess?" She held two very revealing outfits up.

"N-no!" She jumped off the bed and snatched the clothes away from her spirit. They actually looked kinda cute.

"When were you going to tell me about this, Lucy?" Gray was still angry.

"Well, I didn't think it was something we should talk about while we were doing..that."

"Right. So you were acting that way while you were thinking about someone else. Who is it, Lucy? Who are you going out with?"

Lucy's eyes filled with tears at the vehemence in Gray's voice. She had never heard him like this before.

"Laxus. He asked me to-"

"I should have known." He cut Lucy off with a sneer and grabbed his pants.

"Gray I-" He pushed past Virgo and stomped to the door. He snatched up his shirt and hopped into his pants while pulling it awkwardly over his head. He wasn't very good at reverse stripping. "Gray, please." She reached out a hand to him.

He refused to look at her. He walked out, and slammed the door behind her.

Lucy collapsed on her bed and hung her head in her hands. Tears dripped from between her fingers and fell onto her thighs. She hadn't meant for things to turn out like this. Gray was the one that was always there for her. He was there for her when Laxus had made it clear that he wasn't interested in her. Now Laxus wanted to take her out, and Lucy had hurt Gray by accepting.

"Princess." Virgo whispered her name and took a step closer to her.

Lucy scooted up on her bed and curled up with her face still covered.

"Just pick something for me, Virgo. I'm going to bed." She felt the sheets hit her skin as Virgo covered her, and the surge in her magical energy as Virgo returned to the Spirit World.

Hopefully tomorrow would be a better day.

The warm sun filtered through Lucy's curtains and fell across her pale face. If there had been someone waking up next to her, they would have thought they had fallen into the bed of a goddess. As it was, this particular blond woke up alone.

Groaning, Lucy threw the covers off and stumbled to the bathroom. It was later than she usually woke up, and she didn't even care. She didn't have any plans until later that night. She would stay home and relax today. Maybe she would even get some cleaning done.

After brushing her teeth, dressing in a pair of shorts and a cut off tee, and tying her hair up in a simple pony tail, Lucy assessed her cleaning supplies. It seemed that she would be making a trip to the market to get some bleach and other supplies. Although cleaning wasn't her favorite thing to do, she had let her apartment get out of hand. On the surface it seemed orderly and neat. However, Lucy knew that if anyone were to run their finger under the edge of her desk or look behind her toilet they would be appalled. She cringed to think of what would happen if Erza were the one to discover such a thing.

Grabbing her wallet on the way out, Lucy headed to the store. It would be a quick trip, and then she would scour her apartment before getting ready for her date. It wasn't the way most people would spend their time before going out with a gorgeous man, but it would help keep her mind off other matters. With the door locked behind her, Lucy walked at a leisurely pace towards the store.

* * *

Gray entered the guild with a frown on his face. He was still incredibly upset about last night. Fortunately, Laxus was nowhere to be found. Had he been there, Gray probably would have started a fight that he would surely lose against the older mage.

He found a seat at the bar, and sullenly ordered a drink. Mira was mildly surprised when his choice was an alcoholic beverage, but she wisely didn't argue. It was as if she could sense the mood he was in. Hell, the entire guild seemed able to tell that Gray was nigh on murderous right then.

It was startling to Gray when a slim figure appeared next to him.

"Gray-sama," Juvia fidgeted on the stood next to his. Despite his mood, Juvia was willing to approach him. "Would Gray-sama like Juvia's company?" Gray was surprised. For once Juvia was asking him instead of forcing herself on him. It seemed that the incident with Lucy had changed her outlook somewhat.

"Sure." He shrugged his shoulders. It was only fair. If Lucy was going to fuck off with Laxus, then why couldn't he hang out with Juvia. Everyone knew that she was dying for a chance to spend time with him. "Actually, I'm kind of hungry. Why don't we go grab something to eat."

Hearts lit up in Juvia's eyes, and she nearly fell of her stool as she clasped her hands together in joy. Gray had to steady her with his hand on her shoulder to keep her from toppling to the floor. As soon as he stood she sobered and followed him out of the guild and down the road.

He lead her away from the guild to a little restaurant that served them outside underneath their own canopied table. He even pulled her chair out for her like a gentleman. Juvia remained calm throughout all of this, and even managed to order without incident.

Once they finished eating, Gray pulled out his wallet to pay.

"Gray-sama is the sweetest man Juvia could ever hope for." She was clinging to his arm with hearts in her eyes.

"Yeah well…" He grinned and patted her on the head.

He looked up to find Lucy standing across the road with a grocery bag in her hand. She was staring over at the two of them entwined as they were with their finished plates before them. It was obvious what they had been doing.

Gray smirked at her and lifted a hand in a friendly wave. Lucy immediately whirled around and raced off with her bag banging against her leg.

It was only fair. She decided that it would be ok to run off with Laxus on a date. Why couldn't he take Juvia out to lunch. It wasn't like he kissed her or did anything inappropriate with her.

"Juvia is sooo happy." Juvia wiggled and rubbed her breasts against his arm. Gray looked down at her with a frown. He really wished she would stop doing things like that.

"Well, I should probably get going now." He extricated himself from Juvia's grasp and stood.

"Wait. Juvia has something for Gray-sama!" Gray shoved his hands in his pockets and briefly wondered if the girl carried gifts around on her for occasions such as this. "Here!" She had fished something out from somewhere in her dress. He would rather not consider the possibilities.

The item she presented to him was a simple bracelet. The band was incredibly thin, and the material was translucent. When she dropped the bracelet into his hand he was surprised at the texture.

"Is this-?"

"It is part of Juvia's water." She was blushing and fidgeting again.

"T-thanks." The gift seemed unbelievably intimate and unexpected. He couldn't think of a way to deny such a present without permanently damaging the girl. Instead of refusing it, he allowed her to place it on his right wrist. He could only imagine the trouble she had gone through to have it magically reinforced to the point where it would retain its shape without Juvia's influence.

Juvia hopped up and down in glee and Gray waved as he walked away. He had a lot of thinking to do about Lucy and why she had chosen to go on a date with Laxus. He couldn't deny that it angered him, but mostly it hurt him. He thought she cared about him, and he couldn't understand why she would accept the affections of the man that had previously hurt her.

He would make her see that she didn't need any one besides him. If he had to make her jealous to make her understand then so be it. Juvia wouldn't mind the extra attention anyways. It would be a win-win situation for him. When it was time for him to reveal to Juvia that he wasn't going to be with her, he would do so in the gentlest manner possible and try to maintain their friendship. He didn't want to hurt her, but the most important thing right now was Lucy.

* * *

Hey! I hope you enjoyed this update and are looking forward to the LaLu coming up! I know Gray is being such a crazy right now. I guess that's what women will do to ya.

What did you think about this chapter? Gray or Laxus? Any Gruvia fans here? Did you enjoy the Gruvia fluff? Prepare for more!


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